


Kohaku's Secret

by river_chan



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Assassination, Gen, Injury, M/M, Major Character Injury, Pre-Relationship, honestly i'm bad at writing relationships so it's just them interacting no homo but, idk how to tag, niki im scared pick me up, they're gay i promise, uhhhhh himeru tends to kohaku wounds he's the real dude i love him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:53:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27421504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/river_chan/pseuds/river_chan
Summary: Worried about his younger unit mate, HiMERU follows Kohaku and makes a shocking discovery...
Relationships: HiMERU/Oukawa Kohaku
Kudos: 29





	Kohaku's Secret

**Author's Note:**

> Hi it's me again with the Himekoha stuff. Still haven't learned how to write a good story. Enjoy.
> 
> Trigger warning for death/murder/injuries I guess?

While Rinne and Niki didn’t seem to notice anything strange, HiMERU couldn’t miss how off Kohaku always seemed during their practice sessions.

With these bags under his eyes, he certainly looked overworked. He also refused to take off the jacket he wore during training, even when he was sweating buckets. Speaking of his training clothes, he’s been ordering dozens of them, for seemingly no reason.

And most importantly, something seemed off with his smile. It wasn’t really a fake smile, but HiMERU could tell that there are emotions inside of him that he doesn’t show.

Since HiMERU is acting, lying, and pretending to be someone he’s not all the time, he can easily see through other’s facades. And he couldn’t help but worry about him and wonder what’s the matter with him.

Additionally, Crazy:B just suddenly received a bigger budget. Kohaku said it’s his family helping them out, giving them some financial support after they have been doing poorly.

Just what is he doing? It sounds like he is taking some kind of part time job to support his unit. They were doing bad, but they were still surviving, so there’s no need to do any of that, especially since it was obviously impacting his performance negatively. He even acknowledged that himself, apologizing for it and saying he currently had some sort of “issues”.

Thinking about it, Kohaku never really spoke about his life or his family, ever. All HiMERU knew is that he didn’t know much of society before outside of the internet… It’s really weird.

HiMERU needed to know exactly what was going on. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good for Kohaku, so much he could tell. And yet, if he asked about it, there’s no way Kohaku would tell the truth.

To be fair, it’s not like “HiMERU” was one to talk. After all, he doesn’t let anyone know anything about him, keeping himself mysterious and enigmatic. So he can’t expect Kohaku to be honest with him if he wasn’t being honest himself.

That’s why he came to the conclusion to follow his younger unit mate after practice. This might be stalking but… He just needed to know what was making Kohaku like this.

And thus, after practice ended and everyone parted ways, HiMERU kept on trailing behind Kohaku, careful not to act too suspicious, and to stay far away, so that he wouldn’t be seen if Kohaku turned around.

The colder season has already started, so by now it was dark outside, and really cold. To keep himself warm, HiMERU wore a jacket over his normal training clothes, with the hood on to hide his face. It felt bad to stalk his friend like that, but… This is for his best, since he’d refuse to talk about it if asked.

For about twenty minutes, Kohaku was walking through the city, with quick and steady steps, until he’s reached a rather shady part of the suburbs. He went through a street that was off of the main streets people would go; His destination had to be near here, or he wouldn’t have gone this way.

Although HiMERU couldn’t spot anything interesting there. It was really just a bunch of huge apartment blocks, all lined next to each other, no kind of stores or anything, really. Was he visiting someone, or what?

Suddenly, he stopped. Right in between two buildings, where there was a free spot, a kind of alley, Kohaku came to a halt and gave one quick glance over his shoulder – though not thorough enough to notice HiMERU. Then, he entered the alley.

It was dark, if it hadn’t been for the pale light of a barely working lantern next to it, the alley would have been pitch black. And then, a loud crashing sound and the light went out. It sounded like glass breaking. Did he… Did he just destroy that lantern?

HiMERU was left completely confused as he hid behind a corner. Luckily, no one was around, or else this would have seemed extremely suspicious and weird of him. I mean, it was. But. Um.

The street itself was still illuminated by the lanterns, but the place that Kohaku was hiding in was pitch black, so he had no idea what was happening. Should he approach? Or should he stay away and wait? Just what is going on?

In the end, he just stayed there for a little longer, until he saw a figure approaching from the other side of the street. Those lanterns in the street didn’t help much, all that HiMERU could make out was that it was probably a man, rather tall. It didn’t look like someone he knew.

Eventually, that person reached the alley Kohaku was in, then they flinched before being pulled into the darkness.

What… is going on…?

HiMERU just remained standing there, not because he figured that would be the best course of action, but because he just froze. What just happened? What did he…? What?

Since the night was incredibly silent, grunts and yelps echoed from there all the way over to where HiMERU was hiding. They were fighting, that was obvious.

Completely bewildered, HiMERU didn’t manage to move a single muscle. That was until a high-pitched scream resounded through the street. No doubt, that was Kohaku.

Now he was running, running with adrenalin rushing through his body. Kohaku was more than clearly in some sort of danger. He arrived at the alley and found a panting Kohaku laying on the ground, next to him the person that he just saw.

Kohaku lifted his head upon seeing the shadow that approached, and HiMERU saw blood all over his cheek and his arm. “H-HiM… HiMERU-han…?”

The strange man was standing next to him, heaving heavily, blood all over his clothes, and a dagger in his bleeding hand.

Although he didn’t grasp exactly what was going on, HiMERU immediately knew that that was the person who attacked Kohaku and positioned himself between that person and Kohaku, as a kind of wall, defending him. “Drop that weapon, right now,” he snapped.

“H-HiMERU-han, don’t-”

He didn’t think clearly, the adrenalin has long taken over his body while his brain is still trying to figure out what on earth just happened. And it seems that it was the same for the attacker, who just started at HiMERU silently, still gasping for air, panicking.

HiMERU didn’t know anything about fighting, or even simple self-defense, so when he tried to think of what to do against an armed opponent, all his head said was: Dick kick.

And thus, he kicked him in the groin. He fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Sure, a dick kick might be lame, but he knew it was effective. HiMERU kicked the dagger away as it was dropped, and then proceeded to punch the man as he was defenseless until he passed out.

After he was sure that the person was unconscious, HiMERU took some deep breaths. He needed to calm down desperately.

“…HiMERU-han, what are ya doin’ here?” Kohaku called out, sitting up and holding his wounded arm. There was a slash right through his entire right arm, blood gushing out from it.

“HiMERU wants to ask you the same question. Who was that, and just what were you doing, Oukawa?” He answered, out of breath.

Groaning, Kohaku reached out for the dagger that HiMERU had kicked away, trying to stand up, but HiMERU stopped him.

“No, no, don’t move. Not with this injury.”

Kohaku bit his lip. “I… I gotta finish this job…”

“No, I-” he cut himself off. “ _HiMERU_ will call an ambulance. Stay where you are or it might get worse.”

“No, don’t call anyone! Please! The authorities’ll get involved and they’ll figure out that I’m…” his voice trailed off.

HiMERU tilted his head. “That you’re what?” he asked, despite already being pretty sure what he meant.

“...That I’m an assassin,” Kohaku finally said, with a low and dry voice.

HiMERU had already suspected it, and yet, he still gulped. Hearing it said out loud really felt… unreal. “Then… Then what should we do? We need to treat your wound, immediately.”

“Well, hm… Where do ya live? Is it anywhere close?”

“HiMERU’s car is still parked at the ES, it’d take ages to walk all the way back there,” he answered, but then he had an idea. He pulled out his phone from his pocket.

“H-Hey, you’re ya callin’?” Kohaku asked, with panic in his voice.

“Shiina, or Amagi if HiMERU can’t reach him,” he explained.

Kohaku nodded, hesitantly. The last thing we wanted was for them to find out what he did, but he didn’t really have any other options. They’re at least people he can _somewhat_ trust. Well, Niki is. Kinda.

HiMERU put his phone to his ear. Kohaku used this as an opportunity to finish what he had started. So while HiMERU was distracted, he grabbed his dagger to kill the man as he was unconscious.

“Sorry to bother, but Oukawa really needs your help right now. He is horribly injured and HiMERU can't help him right now, so we need someone to pick us up, quickly. Could you please drive here to get us? It's extremely urgent.” HiMERU spoke into his phone after a few moments of silence, with his back facing Kohaku.

Some silence again, as the person he was calling was talking. Then HiMERU turned to face Kohaku. “Oukawa, do you know which street-” He regretted turning around, as he just witnessed the man’s throat getting cut, blood gushing out from it like a fountain. He’s not a very squeamish person, but seeing a person _get fucking murdered right in front of him_ made him nearly vomit. He instinctively covered his mouth with his hands and his legs grew weak.

Without even batting an eye, Kohaku told him the streets name, as he let go of his victim. Death and murder have always been a part of his life, so he was somewhat surprised to see someone react in such a way to something he’s so accustomed to. It reminded him, again, that he is not normal. He sighed.

HiMERU visibly gulped, before regaining his composure and pressing his phone back against his ear, repeating the street name that Kohaku just told him. “Ah, n-nothing, HiMERU just… please come here quickly, it is urgent.”

“Sorry ya had to see that…” Kohaku said after HiMERU ended the call.

HiMERU didn’t know how to answer to that, so he didn’t. “…Shiina is going to pick us up. It will be alright.” Kohaku nodded. “Um, if you don’t mind HiMERU asking…” his voice trailed off because he didn’t even know what he wanted to say.

“…why I do this?” somehow, Kohaku knew exactly what he wanted to say.

Scratching the back of his neck nervously, he slowly nodded.

“Well, I’m from a family of assassins, ya see. I managed to break away from that life, but… I figured I’d use one of my only skills – killin’ people – to make some extra money. Especially since our unit has been doin’ pretty fuckin’ awful.”

HiMERU remained silent as he let what he just heard sink in. He always had his suspicions that Kohaku’s family weren’t really good people, but… assassins? And… and the reason Kohaku is always so exhausted is because he… _he kills people_ after work.

_This tiny pink-haired boy has a body count._

“You need to stop, Oukawa. Just look what it’s done to you,” HiMERU finally said, with a firm voice, looking at the huge slash on his arm. "HiMERU won't let you continue doing this."

“Somethin’ like that doesn’t normally happen though!” Kohaku called out, defending himself. He seemed… really embarrassed?

“Even if it doesn’t, HiMERU can still tell how much this has impacted you. You seem so overworked during practice… The reason HiMERU is even here right now is because he wanted to find out what it is that makes you so stressed all the time, so he followed you.”

“But-”

“No,” the blue-haired man snapped, cutting him off. “If HiMERU hadn’t been here tonight, you… You might be dead now, Oukawa. HiMERU can’t let you continue like this. Especially since there’s no reason, Crazy:B has enough money to survive, after all.”

Kohaku gulped, his eyes staring at the ground below him. “H-HiMERU-han…”

The street was illuminated suddenly, a car was approaching. Barely any cars normally drive through this street, especially at this time, so they assumed it was Niki, and upon peaking out, yes, it indeed was.

Kohaku tried to lift himself up, but he had no strength left in his injured arm. HiMERU swiftly picked him up, however, carrying him bridal style, but being careful not to touch his injury. “Hey, HiMERU-han, I-I can still walk on my own, ya know?”

“It didn’t look like it. Plus, you shouldn’t be straining your body like that.”

Ironically, being carried like that from HiMERU only made it worse for him, at least mentally. He was blushing out of embarrassment, and his heart was beating twice as fast. They approached Niki’s car, and when they arrived, HiMERU carefully sat Kohaku down on the backseat, even fastening his seatbelt for him, like a parent would for a toddler. This was even more embarrassing.

“Woah, Kohaku-chan? what happened to you guys?” Niki turned around and noticed the huge wound on his younger unit mate’s arm.

HiMERU decided not to say anything as he sat down on the passenger seat. It was Kohaku’s business, after all. He should tell Niki what he wanted to tell him.

“Somethin’…” Kohaku just replied. “Uh, sorry if I get some blood on yer car, I got some stuff that can wash it out though.”

“Kohaku, what happened?” Niki repeated.

But Kohaku wouldn’t answer. “Please, just drive us…”

“…to HiMERU’s house. He will take care of him,” HiMERU took initiative and finished his sentence for him.

Reluctantly, Niki obliges. “Okay, but please tell me what’s going on? Don't leave me in the dark, I need to know!”

“I ain't gonna!” He snapped. “I don’t wanna deal with that kinda stuff right now, okay? I need a moment…”

He desperately wanted to know what on earth had happened, but he could tell that Kohaku didn’t want to tell him, so he gave up. He’s probably in shock himself, and needs some time, he figured. It was weird that HiMERU didn’t say anything, though…

Soon, they arrived, and HiMERU picked Kohaku up just like he had put him in the car. Niki also came along, just to make sure that his friends would be alright. Kohaku felt bad for making him worry like that, but right now, he really didn’t want to have to deal with him.

“Listen, Niki-han, ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout me, I’m safe now, thanks to ya. I promise I’ll explain everything to ya, but later cause right now… I just really need some rest…”

Niki nodded reluctantly. “I… I understand. I’m just really concerned, you know? You just suddenly call me to pick you up and you’re bleeding all over the place… Who did this to you?”

“Don’t worry, I took care of ‘em. So everything’s fine.”

“Apologies for dragging you into all of this, Shiina,” HiMERU said as he brought Kohaku to his sofa. “But thank you. Without you, we would have been in quite a predicament there.” He then quickly left to get a first aid kit.

“Hm… I guess I should just leave then? If HiMERU-kun’s taking care of you?” Niki asked Kohaku, to which the younger boy nodded. “I’ll be calling you tomorrow in the morning, just to check on you, okay? And if you need anything, just call me and I’ll be there.” Niki really did sound like a mother there. It made Kohaku uncomfortable, being babied like this, but somewhere deep down, he appreciated it. It made him happy that he was cared for.

On his way out, Niki also explained the same thing to HiMERU, telling him that he’s always ready to help if they need it. And then, he left. Although he doesn’t think he’ll be able to rest, still not knowing what on earth happened to his unit mates.

After HiMERU got his first aid kit, he washed his hands, while Kohaku took off his training jacket that he was wearing, all covered in blood. So that’s what the dozens of spare training uniforms were for, huh?

Luckily for Kohaku, he wore a shirt under it, the sleeves of it easily revealing his wounds, meaning that he didn’t need to be completely topless. If he had worn a long-sleeved top, he would be in quite a dilemma.

But turns out he would have been, either way. When HiMERU returned, he asked Kohaku to take off his shirt as well.

“W-What? My wound’s showin’ perfectly fine though?” he flushed a bright red at the thought of being topless in front of him. Although he knew he had bigger problems, namely a huge fucking stab wound across his arm, he really didn’t want to reveal himself like that.

HiMERU frowned. “HiMERU just wants to check if you have any other injuries, and it will be easier to wash your arm then. Please, HiMERU gets why you’re uncomfortable, but this is serious.”

Letting out a defeated sigh, he gave up and pulled his shirt from him, careful not to touch his wound in the process, revealing his entire upper body. There weren’t any other injuries to be seen, but… there were lots of scars. Ones that looked like they’d been on him for years.

Nothing recent, nothing that needed treatment, or nothing that happened that night, though... He really must have had a fucked-up life.

HiMERU gulped, but at least it’s just this one injury that he needed to take care of now. He grabbed a clean piece of cloth and pressed it against Kohaku’s arm, while Kohaku was being a flustered and very uncomfortable mess.

He didn’t want HiMERU to see his scars, and his sudden kind of intimacy really made him dizzy. It might also have been due to the blood loss though.

HiMERU applied gentle pressure to his cut, frequently looking up from his arm to look at Kohaku’s face, to see if he’s in pain or not. He hasn’t ever done something like this before, so he had no clue if he was even doing this right. He was hoping Kohaku would tell him if he was doing something wrong.

It didn’t take too long for the bleeding to stop. Granted, the wound wasn’t very fresh anymore.

“HiMERU needs to wash your injury next.” Kohaku nodded as he watched him remove the cloth. He was guided into the bathroom, where HiMERU turned the tab on, letting lukewarm to cold water out. He knew that this process would be painful, and he was right, as Kohaku let out some muffled yelps when the water hit his wound.

And it’ll burn even worse once he used the soap on it… “Sorry…” HiMERU sighed as Kohaku tried to suppress his sharp inhales of pain.

“It ain’t yer nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnfault.”

He spent some more time washing the wound, while Kohaku was flinching in pain. “Do you think this is alright?”

“Hm, looks fine to me.”

HiMERU brought Kohaku back to his living room, where he sat down next to him on the sofa. He grabbed some antibiotic ointment and applied it all around the wound. It burned like hell again. He wrapped his arm in dozens of bandages. “This should be okay… HiMERU hopes.”

Kohaku smiled. “Thank ya kindly. What would I be doin’ without ya…” his voice trailed off, but then he said under his breath “bein’ fuckin’ dead on the streets, I guess…”

His arm was wrapped in probably twice the amount of bandages necessary, HiMERU just wanted to make sure it’d be alright. He’d never forgive himself if his wound got worse because of him.

After it was all done, Kohaku put his shirt back on and leaned back on HiMERU’s sofa. “Ngh… I'm sorry, cause ya already did so much for me, but say, do ya got any painkillers? I could really use one of ‘em…”

“Sure, HiMERU should have something like that, wait a moment.” By the time HiMERU came back with some pills and a glass of water, Kohaku was laying there, with his eyes closed. “Oukawa?” he whispered. “Are you asleep?”

“Nah, no way I’d fall asleep with this fuckin’ stinger in my arm…” he murmured. “Though I really wanna sleep, I'm so fuckin' tired…” He had to admit, part of him was starting to doze off though. But the other part was kept awake by his aching arm.

HiMERU sat down next to him and handed him the medication. “Well, this medicine will make you drowsy as well, so you should be able to rest.” Kohaku swallowed the pill and drank it down with the water. He felt instant relief, though that was probably just the placebo of it, it wouldn't work instantly, would it?

“HiMERU will get you some blankets and pillows. You can sleep on this sofa for tonight.”

“Thank ya…” Kohaku mumbled as HiMERU left again. His eyelids were already starting to get very heavy. Was that the medication already working or was he just incredibly exhausted? Who knows…

He was already starting to doze off when he was awakened by something soft being wrapped around him, and a bunch of pillows were dropped behind him. “Is it comfortable like that?”

“Mmm… is… perfect…” He let himself sink into the fluffy, comfy feeling and closed his eyes. With his last remaining strength, he managed to murmur “HiMERU-han… thanks…” before his drowsiness took over him, finally letting him rest after this more than rough day.

He wished he could have said more. He wished he could have really explained how much HiMERU means to him and how incredibly grateful he was that he found him and took care of him like that. Without him, he’d likely be dead now… And he’s so understanding, kind, and caring, letting him sleep in his apartment. Even when he found out about Kohaku’s secret, he was still there for him.

Maybe when he wakes up he gets the chance to tell him how much he appreciates him… Maybe…

HiMERU watched Kohaku’s chest, wrapped in blankets, rise and fall slowly. Very soft snores starting coming out of his mouth, too. He had to admit it – he was adorable.

It was hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that he was an assassin. That he has killed dozens of people before. And that he’s been doing that all the time.

HiMERU is gonna have to have a serious talk with him about that, once he wakes up and feels okay. There’s no way he’s going to let him continue this work, not after what it was done to him mentally, and now, physically. He doesn’t want him to get hurt any further. But for now, he could just rest.

HiMERU gave him a soft kiss on his forehead before he left.

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I love gore and violence (IN FICTION MIGHT I ADD), I can't write it. Oh well. Have these homosexual bees while I have a mental breakdown.


End file.
